Carex pumila, a perennial plant found in coastal dunes and sandy soil. [Nakdong River Biological Resources Institute]
Carex pumila, a perennial plant found in coastal dunes and sandy soil. [Nakdong River Biological Resources Institute]

The National Nakdong River Biological Resources Institute announced Friday that joint research with the Hongcheon Medical Herb Research Institute has confirmed the potential of Kobophenol B — a natural compound isolated from Carex pumila, commonly known as dwarf barley sedge — to prevent and treat inflammatory bowel disease.

The research was conducted as part of a project to build omics big data on freshwater biological materials under the National Biological Research Resources Advancement initiative.

Researchers isolated Kobophenol B from Carex pumila, a perennial plant that grows in coastal dunes and sandy soil, then evaluated its anti-inflammatory effects using cell and animal models.

In experiments using human-derived colon cells, Kobophenol B reduced secretion of the inflammatory cytokine IL-8 and suppressed the production of reactive oxygen species, with no notable cytotoxicity.

In mice induced with ulcerative colitis, Kobophenol B alleviated symptoms of diarrhea and bloody stool. In the high-dose group, inflammation in colon tissue and levels of inflammatory cytokines in the blood also declined.

Building on these findings, the two institutions registered a patent in May covering compositions containing Kobophenol B for the prevention or treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

The patent covers applications not only in pharmaceuticals but also in food products, quasi-drugs and feed compositions.

However, as the research was conducted on cells and laboratory animals, additional studies on safety and efficacy will be required before the compound can be applied to humans.

"The significance lies in confirming the anti-inflammatory potential of a single compound isolated from Carex pumila and securing it through a patent," said Ryu Si-hyeon, head of the institute's Biodiversity Conservation Research Division.


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com